You’re reading #3 of my Top Ten Tips for writing your resume. Read all the other tips by clicking on each link: Be focused.—2. Be strategic and selective.— 3. Be succinct.— 4. Stand out from the crowd.— 5. Show results. — 6. Write it right.— 7. Make a great first impression.— 8. Be interesting. — 9. Be specific.— 10. Tell your story. #3 BE SUCCINCT …
Category: Resumes & CVs
Top Ten Resume Tips: #2—Be Strategic and Selective
You’re reading #2 of my Top Ten Tips for writing your resume. Read all the other tips by clicking on each link: 1. Be focused.—2. Be strategic and selective. — 3. Be succinct. — 4. Stand out from the crowd. — 5. Show results. — 6. Write it right. — 7. Make a great first impression. — 8. Be interesting. — 9. Be specific. …
Top Ten Resume Tips: #1—Be Focused

Boiling down complicated concepts to clear messages is my specialty! That’s what I do every day in distilling decades of executive experience into concise 2-page resumes. It’s also what I do when I’m in training mode—delivering educational sessions at conferences, presenting to groups of job seekers, writing books on the art and science of resume …
Yes, We’re For Real!
Yesterday I met someone who said, “I didn’t know resume writing was a real profession.” Granted, he’s a medical professional (doctor) so probably uses a traditional CV and also has not been an active job seeker for a few decades. I used to get this reaction when I first started in this profession, more than …
Accomplishment-LIKE is Accomplishment-LITE
Perhaps the one clear, consistent, and constant piece of advice about resume writing is: You must highlight your accomplishments. And if you read the average resume, you are bound to see bullet points all over the place, touting so-called accomplishments. Great, you think! Here’s a template for writing about my achievements! The problem? A lot of resumes …
Keywords and Your Job Search
The past few weeks I’ve been awash in keywords as I’ve been working on the second edition of a best-selling book on that very topic: The Best Keywords for Resumes, Letters, and Interviews When Wendy Enelow (my frequent writing partner) wrote the first edition of the book, keywords were an emerging concept. More than a …
LinkedIn vs. Resume: Discuss!
Your LinkedIn profile is not a resume, but it does share some of the same features and qualities. How, then, should it be different—and how important is that? I share my 5 Keys to Success in a recent LinkedIn Pulse article, and you can download my full 6-page report on this website. But, in essence, when …
Modernize Your Resume
A lot has changed in resume writing and job search these last few years. If you’re not sure your career marketing materials are up to date and effective, you may want to check out my new book: Modernize Your Resume. Written with my frequent co-author Wendy Enelow, this book tells you and shows you what …
Your Story … Your Happiness
This headline on Quartz.com resonated with me: “The story you tell yourself can make you happier.” What a concept! In work and in life, it’s easy to focus on the negatives: the daily irritations or larger disappointments. But according to studies, we each have the power to control our happiness, simply by telling ourselves positive stories and recalling …
What NOT to Say in Your Resume
Are you an “executive luminary”? A “pioneering game-changer”? An “innovation evangelist”? An “outside-the-box catalyst for skyrocketing growth”? If so – great! But please don’t describe yourself that way – or in other overblown terms – in your resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letter, executive bio, interviews, network interactions, or anywhere else during your job search. Why …